Campus police, students team up for safety

A partnership between the Tulane University Police Department and the Student Safety Committee is fostering communication between officers, like Lieutenant Anthony Dominguez (far left), and students. (Photo by Paula Burch-Celentano)

The Tulane University Police Department (TUPD) has introduced multiple measures to improve security on and off Tulane’s campuses, including supplementing patrols with Allied Universal Security personnel, installing more security cameras and replacing lights with brighter, more energy-efficient options.

Now, TUPD is collaborating with the Student Safety Committee, formed in 2016 by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and former TUPD patrol commander Roger Barnes. The goal is to foster communication between officers, campus departments and students.

“It’s a way for students to engage with us,” said TUPD Lieutenant Anthony Dominguez. “Meetings are open to the student body, so any student can come to the panel and ask us questions or talk about their concerns with the people who can make a difference.”

TUPD works with the committee to encourage students to use the free resources available that can help ensure their safety, including campus shuttles and the RAVE Guardian app.

The committee also introduced the Community Liaison Program, which assigns TUPD officers to shifts at specific dorms. This allows officers to build rapport with students as they attend regular meetings with resident advisers and provide crime prevention training to residents.

“This opens up dialogue,” said Dominguez. “It’s a way for officers to take ownership of their areas and a way for students to be more comfortable discussing things with us.”

Aiming to establish more one-on-one time between officers and the Tulane community, the committee also hosts the event series “Coffee With a Cop” and “Pizza With the Police.”

The next Pizza With the Police session will be hosted at Wall Residential College and Paterson House on Thursday, Oct. 5. The first Coffee With a Cop event at the downtown campus takes place Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 8 a.m. in the Tulane School of Medicine lobby.